Hornby,+Nick

=Nick Hornby= Hornby began making a name for himself as a journalist, with features published in //The Sunday Times//, //Elle//, //GQ//, and many others. He then wrote his first book in 1992, //Fever Pitch//, and then in 1995 his first novel, //High Fidelity//, was published.

Nick Hornby on Q TV media type="youtube" key="aUNilSpyBkc" height="315" width="560"

Eli Suris- Will’s character elicited a specific reaction from me...

"About a Boy" Movie Trailer media type="youtube" key="-apwoGTpi7E" height="315" width="560"

Eli Suris- This book made me feel like I had a clearer understanding of concepts regarding being a man...



** Natalie Hords: **

 * Mini Reviews:**

About A Boy:

This book was interesting in a sense that I was able to see situations from the viewpoint of a young boy, and then from an adult male. Since I’m in the middle, age wise, I can sort of relate to both standpoints. For me to see the influence each character had on one another, it made me think about my own life and how my friends have changed me as a person. I theorized that any and every person who has walked into my life has made a change in me. Whether I knew what that change is, or how significant it may or may not have been, every person has made an impact. That’s what I kept in mind as I read __About A Boy__.

High Fidelity:

High Fidelity was interesting because I almost felt as though I was an intruder in the male psyche. This book was hilarious and culturally filled with British stuff, some stuff I found difficult to connect with, but it was still enjoyable to read. This book made me realize that either I have a male-like way of thinking when it comes to relationships, or that males feel the same way females do about romance, they’re just a lot better at concealing their deeper feelings the majority of the time. Either way, I spent most of my time laughing and or feeling sorry for the main character and his lonely unsuccessful life.

Critical Essay: __About A Boy__ __About a Boy__ by Nick Hornby is a book that touches on the subjects of human emotions, life in general, and the effects relationships can have on an individual. The overall themes are portrayed in Hornby’s simplistic dialogue and his intertwining characters. Their complex relationships create interest by placing the reader into a position where they can analyze each situation from multiple angles. The reader’s ability to do so is due to the fact that __About A Boy__ is written from the internal perspective of the two main characters, Will, a middle-aged man and Marcus, a young boy. Through their thoughts, the reader is able to get a 360 view of every situation that occurs across these pages. The external and internal emotions are essential when it comes down to the portrayal of each character’s persona. We have Will, the laid back “cool” guy who embodies that of a teenage boy, although he is in fact a grow man. For the majority of his 36 years of life, he has lived in a cocoon of numbness, never allowing deep feelings to intrude on his lavish, stress-free lifestyle. One of Wills prominent traits is his lack of sincerity towards others. He thinks to himself, “Me, I didn't mean anything. About anything, to anyone. And I knew that guaranteed me a long, depression-free life.” Much of Wills outward qualities are revealed through Hornby’s eccentric dialogue. At one point, while Will is talking to a friend, she argues, “Oh, no… it’s just I thought you had hidden depths.” And Will blatantly replies, “No, no, you’ve always had that wrong about me. I really am this shallow.” These conversations paints a clear picture of Will and how not only does he think himself shallow, he wants others to view him this way as well. Then we have Wills foil, Marcus, a quirky young boy with homely taste due to his mothers’ granola-type cultural influence. Marcus, unlike Will, is very mature for his age because of his mom’s suicidal tendencies and the lack a prominent father figure due to divorce. Because of the events that occur in Marcus’s life, he has a peculiar way of thinking. He is always trying to find some sort of a solution to his problems, one of his solutions to help cope with his moms attempted suicide is, “… two people isn't enough. You need backup. If you're only two people, and someone drops off the edge, then you're on your own. Two isn't a large enough number. You need three at least.” From that point on, he changes and becomes more open to allowing other people into his life. Once Marcus realizes that he needs a larger support system in his life, he looks to Will to fill the spot. When they finally begin to bond, their contrasting ages and personalities start to intertwine with each other, causing major changes in both characters. From Will, Marcus gains a sense of style and self. Before Will, Marcus wasn’t aware of any cultural fads because of the way he was brought up at home. Since Marcus lacked common knowledge of what was popular and not, he stuck out in a negative way. Kids at his school would bully him and he didn’t know how to stand up for himself or change the way he was perceived in society. With Will’s help, Marcus’s eyes were opened to an entirely new and trendier way of living. He starts to dress more normally and is able to connect with the rest of his peers due to his newfound knowledge of popular music. With these tools provided by Will, Marcus is able to become more self-assured. He finally sticks up for himself and allows the flow of society carry him along swiftly. While Will is molding Marcus from the socially inept kid he once was, to a normal teenage boy, Marcus was unintentionally molding Will into the 36-year-old man he truly is. Will’s immaturities begin to fade as his responsibilities for Marcus grow. His life isn’t just about music or jokes or himself alone anymore. It involves a whole cluster of people, now that Marcus is becoming more prominent in his life. His nonchalant attitude towards other peoples emotions were challenged and finally his wall that kept him from creating real bonds with other people cracked. He now feels responsible for Marcus in a sense that he becomes worried about Marcus’s well being. When Marcus experiences an emergency situation, Will feels compelled to support him. Through this incident he finally realizes that his world holds more significance now that he has other people to be concerned about. These highly contrasted characters allow a lot of room for emotional analysis. The reader is able to get a wonderfully clear description of both characters take on any given situation because of the unique format in which Hornby wrote __About A Boy__. From one chapter to the next, the reader is placed in the mind of either Will or Marcus to show the effects that this pair had on each other. The reader can see the external changes of Marcus from Wills point of view, and then the internal changes of Marcus from his own perspective. The same goes for Will. Through this writing process, we’re able to experience the growth of the main characters with a well-rounded understanding due to the differing points of view.

__ High Fidelity REVIEW __

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby is a book that explores the inner thoughts of a typical middle aged male struggling through the daily grind. The beginning of this book resembled that of a journal, which instantly captured my attention. The introduction was flawless. Hornby starts off by listing off all of Robs past failed relationships with minor details, all leading up to his most recent let down, Laura. This was a great way to give a little background into the male psyche pertaining to romance. The overall themes such as success in regards to failure, romance, and the internal struggle with oneself were clearly portrayed in Hornby’s basic dialogue. His lack of formality is what created a comfort level between the characters and myself. I got a sense that I was reading about a close friend, opposed to some male character who lacks soul and a sense of humor. High Fidelity never fails to be humorous and or thought provoking, although even with all of the clarity and substantial emotion-stirring events that occur, this book lacks a sense of deeper thinking that I tend to look for. I’m aware that the majority of the book is from the perspective of internal thoughts, but there’s an air of shallowness to Hornby’s writing. Due to the fact that only the surface emotions were touched, I found it hard to truly immerse myself in his book. Maybe what this book needs are a few “moments of being”. Others who read High Fidelity also agreed that the way Hornby writes creates a lot of laughter and insight into the male psyche. Holly Bates writes, “The novel is close to a classic and was so almost immediately; a wonderfully sweet and funny tale of thirty-five year old Rob, who after being dumped once again, goes through his top 5 break-ups of all time analyzing his life and trying to figure out what it is he actually wants. As he weaves his way through the heartache and desperation of trying to win back his most current girlfriend; we hear of his search for all these old girlfriends to try and figure out why he always gets rejected. As a film, it could be described as the masculine equivalent of a chick-flick really, instead of a woman soul-searching and trying to figure out her life it is a man; but it appeals to both sexes and I’d say this is superior to many a chick-flick and this down to the excellent writing from Hornby. Hornby tells it as it is, his writing is very true and hits right on the mark and this is where the strength lies. He is also very funny and so instead of slipping into sentimentality or clichés, we are laughing aloud to ourselves whilst reading. We are endeared to Rob, and Hornby cleverly makes sure we are constantly on his side, fighting his corner no matter what he does.” -http://www.hackwriters.com/hifidelity.htm I agree with everything she’s saying, Hornby’s writing technique is refreshing and truly appealing to such a vast audience. Perhaps it’s just my obsession with intensity that causes me to be so critical to lighthearted emotions. I found that the majority of people found humor to be most notable next to the constant theme of music in __High Fidelity__ and nothing negative to say about any of it, all of these people who reviewed the book were ecstatic about this book in their reviews.

"Mr. Hornby captures the loneliness and childishness of adult life with such precision...that you'll find yourself nodding and smiling....High Fidelity fills you with the same sensation you get from hearing a debut record album that has more charm and verve than anything you can recall." Mark Jolly, The New York Times Book Review "Hornby's seamless prose and offhand humor make for one hilarious set piece after another, as suffering, self-centered Rob ruminates on women, and Abbey Road. But then he's forced to consider loneliness, fitting-in, death, and failure — and that is what lingers." Spin "High Fidelity is about love, and about the ways in which music (and film, books, and art) affect our experiences of real-life love....Although [it] is a trip through territory that in real life is mundane, depressing, and trite...the novel is anything but." Molly Gould, San Francisco Review of Books "[A] disarming, rueful and sometimes quite funny first novel..." Publishers Weekly "Made me laugh out loud more than any book I can remember. Hornby writes like Martin Amis with a heart or Roddy Doyle with an unfeasibly large record collection." Tony Parsons, Daily Telegraph (London) "Told in an engaging first-person voice that blends sarcasm with self-deprecating humor, High Fidelity presents a painfully funny take on love, music, and growing up....[S]tunningly assured..." Library Journal "Reading this book is like reading an owner's manual for men....It's a quick, snicker-out-loud-then-nod-knowingly read. Then leave it around so your boyfriend picks it up. Tell him it's about music." Bust Magazine While reading __High Fidelity__, I felt as if I was an intruder of the male thought process. This aspect of the book is what intrigued me most, along with the list filled layout. This book is full of life and humor and characters that are easy to relate to. Getting a sneak peek into the male psyche is never dull, and overall I did enjoy reading High Fidelity.